This update is long overdue, but nevertheless, here it is.
At about 60-"days" (workouts) in, I stopped doing P90X. I got to the point where I wasn't motivated by the workouts anymore, and I wasn't able to get myself working out as frequently as I'd like/need to.
So instead, I finally picked up "Insanity Asylum Vol1," and am nearly two weeks in. It's going well.
P90X review right around the corner...
-Clive
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
[NERD ALERT] Clive at Five's Most Anticipated Games of 2012
This year's list is a complete and utter cop-out and I'm sorry. I'll explain why I say that at the end, but for now let's get to the games!
5) Prison Architect - Introversion Software
Either Introversion is a completely amazing Indie game studio, or I'm just a shameless IV fanboy. I'm starting to think the latter. After last year's #3 pick, Subversion, got placed on hold, I was pretty upset. I know, delays happen _all the time_ with Indie studios, but I've been drooling over whatever little scraps of the game I could get my hands on for about 6 years. So maybe I'm just heartbroken and looking for something to fill the void, and maybe Prison Architect is just another pretty face, but boy am I intrigued!
(video)
Few facts are known about Prison Architect, but how can I resist something that looks like an evil SimCity? I SIMply can't. Bahahahaha.
For the complete list, read on!
5) Prison Architect - Introversion Software
Few facts are known about Prison Architect, but how can I resist something that looks like an evil SimCity? I SIMply can't. Bahahahaha.
For the complete list, read on!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Six Sigma Fitness: Project Y and X's (Measure, Part 1)
You know, I liked the idea of turning fitness into a six-sigma project, so I'm going to carry this through.
Last time, I worked on setting a "S.M.A.R.T." goal:
The Problem Statement leads us to our Goal Statement, and then the Goal Statement leads us to the next component of our Six Sigma journey: the "Predictive Equation" and our "Project Y". The Project Y is the result that we would like to achieve. For me, it's a Lower Body Fat %. The Predictive Equation expresses that our Y is a function of a number of Xs.
To any non-n3rds who may be reading, DON'T WORRY! It's not nearly as scary as it looks! All it means is that the Xs are the predominant factors that determine the outcome of our Y. As we will find out in the following example, sometimes your Xs can be functions of yet more precise Xs, but that won't make your formula any more complicated.
-- Identifying the Xs --
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the formula for weight loss is "diet and exercise," but that's rather vague, and can mean different things to different people. What is really meant by "diet and exercise" is maintaining a healthy calorie deficit. Simply put, we want to burn more calories in a day than we ingest. If you eat a lot, you have to burn a lot. Some people may burn a lot of calories without exercise, while others need to run a mile if they happen to glance at a danish.
What it all comes down to is Metabolism - specifically, having one that burns those calories faster than you can shovel them in.
-- Metabolism's Four Components --
Metabolism, as we understand it today, has four components:
1) Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - This is the energy required by your body to keep itself functioning. If you spent an entire day in bed, not moving, you'd still burn a remarkable number of calories. Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it? Here's the best part: Your RMR makes up between 50% and 75% of your daily caloric burn!
2) Physical Activity Level (PAL) - Good old-fashioned exercise... or any movement at all, really. When you contract your muscles, they demand energy, and that burns calories. So whether it's running on the treadmill, or getting up from the sofa to walk to the fridge to stuff your face, at least you're burning something in the process! PAL can account for 10% - 30% of your daily calories burned.
3) Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF) - Speaking of stuffing your face, you'll be happy to hear that the process of eating burns calories! Each food differs, but some foods are easy to digest and others are difficult. Combine that with low-calorie-foods like celery, and you'll actually have a net-negative calorie-intake from eating it. TEF burns between 5% and 15% of your daily calories.
4) Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - Very simply, involuntary motion... fidgeting! While fidgeting seems to be something you either have or you don't, it only accounts for about 5% of your total caloric burn, so getting yourself wired up on caffeine pills isn't exactly recommended. And not just for NEAT reasons...
So now we've identified four Xs to effect change on our Y!
X2 = Physical Activity Level (PAL)
X3 = Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF)
X4 = Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
In Part 2 of Measure, we'll take a closer look at these four components of Metabolism, identify which factors to manipulate, and determine how to go about doing so.
Until next time, n3rds!
-Clive
(For more information on the four components of metabolism, see "The Four Components Of Metabolism" on woldfitness.com. It's a pretty great site too!)
Last time, I worked on setting a "S.M.A.R.T." goal:
"I want increase ab-visibility by reaching a BF% of 10% by June 1st, 2012."In a typical Six Sigma project, this Goal Statement would have been preceded by a "Problem Statement," which I didn't spend any time on, mainly because we all implicitly know the problem statement: Poor diet and exercise habits increase one's likelihood of developing a number of health complications, it limits us in physical ways, it shortens our lives, etc. It's pretty much a no-brainer, but I did want to at least acknowledge that it's a critical step in the Six Sigma process. Without a problem, there's no reason to pursue a solution. And since we're all being constantly bombarded with the warnings of unhealthy diet and exercise, I felt it unescesary to go into that detail on the subject.
The Problem Statement leads us to our Goal Statement, and then the Goal Statement leads us to the next component of our Six Sigma journey: the "Predictive Equation" and our "Project Y". The Project Y is the result that we would like to achieve. For me, it's a Lower Body Fat %. The Predictive Equation expresses that our Y is a function of a number of Xs.
Y = f ( X1, X2, X3, X4 ...)
 |
| hahaha.... I think they meant *too |
To any non-n3rds who may be reading, DON'T WORRY! It's not nearly as scary as it looks! All it means is that the Xs are the predominant factors that determine the outcome of our Y. As we will find out in the following example, sometimes your Xs can be functions of yet more precise Xs, but that won't make your formula any more complicated.
-- Identifying the Xs --
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the formula for weight loss is "diet and exercise," but that's rather vague, and can mean different things to different people. What is really meant by "diet and exercise" is maintaining a healthy calorie deficit. Simply put, we want to burn more calories in a day than we ingest. If you eat a lot, you have to burn a lot. Some people may burn a lot of calories without exercise, while others need to run a mile if they happen to glance at a danish.
What it all comes down to is Metabolism - specifically, having one that burns those calories faster than you can shovel them in.
-- Metabolism's Four Components --
Metabolism, as we understand it today, has four components:
1) Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - This is the energy required by your body to keep itself functioning. If you spent an entire day in bed, not moving, you'd still burn a remarkable number of calories. Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it? Here's the best part: Your RMR makes up between 50% and 75% of your daily caloric burn!2) Physical Activity Level (PAL) - Good old-fashioned exercise... or any movement at all, really. When you contract your muscles, they demand energy, and that burns calories. So whether it's running on the treadmill, or getting up from the sofa to walk to the fridge to stuff your face, at least you're burning something in the process! PAL can account for 10% - 30% of your daily calories burned.
4) Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - Very simply, involuntary motion... fidgeting! While fidgeting seems to be something you either have or you don't, it only accounts for about 5% of your total caloric burn, so getting yourself wired up on caffeine pills isn't exactly recommended. And not just for NEAT reasons...
So now we've identified four Xs to effect change on our Y!
Y = f ( X1, X2, X3, X4)
where:
X1 = Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)X2 = Physical Activity Level (PAL)
X3 = Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF)
X4 = Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
In Part 2 of Measure, we'll take a closer look at these four components of Metabolism, identify which factors to manipulate, and determine how to go about doing so.
Until next time, n3rds!
-Clive
(For more information on the four components of metabolism, see "The Four Components Of Metabolism" on woldfitness.com. It's a pretty great site too!)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I'm not a copy-(lol)cat...
I recently stumbled across nerdfitness.com and what can I say? It's a fantastic site. In fact, it's everything I had hoped this site would become. I should've probably expected that some other brilliant nerd would beat me to the punch.
Now, I as much as I would like to pretend the aforementioned site doesn't exist, I have to do the right thing and try to openly coexist with nerdfitness and in the meantime acknowledge their vast superiority.
In my defense, however, this blog is still a pupa in a state of metamorphosis, much like my journey and insight into the world of health & fitness. I'll no doubt glean some information from nerdfitness, which will invariably find its way into these pages, but I will absolutely strive for unique articles, a unique voice, and a unique audience who will love me despite not being the ORIGINAL fit nerd. 8-)
And now, my favorite lolcat of the week:
Let's see Mr. Nerdfitness do THAT!
-Clive
Now, I as much as I would like to pretend the aforementioned site doesn't exist, I have to do the right thing and try to openly coexist with nerdfitness and in the meantime acknowledge their vast superiority.
In my defense, however, this blog is still a pupa in a state of metamorphosis, much like my journey and insight into the world of health & fitness. I'll no doubt glean some information from nerdfitness, which will invariably find its way into these pages, but I will absolutely strive for unique articles, a unique voice, and a unique audience who will love me despite not being the ORIGINAL fit nerd. 8-)
And now, my favorite lolcat of the week:
Let's see Mr. Nerdfitness do THAT!
-Clive
Saturday, January 14, 2012
P90X: I still have a pulse (First Impressions)
Heya, n3rds!
As was my intent following ChaLEAN Extreme, I started P90X last week.
First impressions: For weights, it's very challenging. For Cardio, it not the hardest workout DVD on the market.
The thing about weights, though, is that you have to decide what weights to (try to) lift. If you don't challenge yourself, you don't get results. With Cardio, it's a lot easier to say, "just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving..." and only stop when you're actually going to collapse.
In other news, I need to clean up my diet. I "accidentally" ate a lot of chips last night. And it was pretty much right before I went to bed.
Fail
-Clive
As was my intent following ChaLEAN Extreme, I started P90X last week.
First impressions: For weights, it's very challenging. For Cardio, it not the hardest workout DVD on the market.
The thing about weights, though, is that you have to decide what weights to (try to) lift. If you don't challenge yourself, you don't get results. With Cardio, it's a lot easier to say, "just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving..." and only stop when you're actually going to collapse.
In other news, I need to clean up my diet. I "accidentally" ate a lot of chips last night. And it was pretty much right before I went to bed.
Fail
-Clive
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Six Sigma Fitness: Goals (Define)
It recently occurred to me that I don't have very well-definited fitness goals. I mean, I started this blog to "keep myself accountable," but that alone is not enough. What am I doing? Just working out?
-- The importance of setting goals: --
Recently, I've been working out without a purpose. That's a pretty bad idea. Most people require a measure of success to keep themselves motivated to achieve... otherwise, why the hell would you work out?-- The importance of setting goals: --
"In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia." - Unknown
Pfft, let me stop you fitnophiles before you even start... I'm talking to the people who, like me, DON'T enjoy working out, who DON'T thrive off the endorphin rush, and have to practically coerce themselves into doing anything that remotely resembles physical activity. Some of us need a reason to interrupt our otherwise comfortable existence to sweat, ache, and stink. Sounds baffling, I know...
-- What makes a good goal? --
I recently took a set of Six Sigma classes. (Six Sigma is essentially a methodology for thorough problem-solving, which is only vaguely applicable to actual day-to-day work, but that's another story.)
Six Sigma puts substantial emphasis on goal-setting, using the "S.M.A.R.T." mnemonic:
S - Specific: addresses the "Who, What, Where, Why, Which"
M - Measureable: establishes concrete criteria for measuring progress
A - Attainable: ensures that your goal is within reach
R - Relevant: ensures that pursuing this goal is a worthwhile allocation of resourcesT - Time-bound: sets a time-frame to establish a sense of urgency and accountability
 |
| Is anyone else not *that* surprised there's a Six Sigma lolcat? |
-- I'll be the guinea pig... --
I'll use myself as an example. I know I have the potential for abs, so I could make that my goal - it's Attainable, but neither Specific nor Measurable. I know I have to get rid of that old "stubborn belly fat" but there are a million different goals I could set to try to tackle that. What makes the most sense?
Strictly speaking, I want to reduce inches around my waist, but that's really only a partial solution (not Relevant). I want to lose fat all over. One commonly-used metric is BMI (Body-Mass Index). When I was "obese" (i.e. had a lot of fat to lose), it was an excellent metric to measure my progress. The problem with using BMI now is that not all mass is created equal. To get abs, you need muscle mass and not fat mass. You need a low BF% (Body-Fat Percentage).
Now, even after two rounds of Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme, and a few other random regimens here and there, I'm still between 16 and 18% (BF% is really tough to calculate without a caliper, but there are decent - albeit inconsistent - tape-measure calculation methods out there). 16 - 18% isn't BAD... in fact, it's comfortably in the "Average" range, but after some research, it seems that most men start to see abs around the 10%-mark. Let's give this a shot:
I'll use myself as an example. I know I have the potential for abs, so I could make that my goal - it's Attainable, but neither Specific nor Measurable. I know I have to get rid of that old "stubborn belly fat" but there are a million different goals I could set to try to tackle that. What makes the most sense?
Strictly speaking, I want to reduce inches around my waist, but that's really only a partial solution (not Relevant). I want to lose fat all over. One commonly-used metric is BMI (Body-Mass Index). When I was "obese" (i.e. had a lot of fat to lose), it was an excellent metric to measure my progress. The problem with using BMI now is that not all mass is created equal. To get abs, you need muscle mass and not fat mass. You need a low BF% (Body-Fat Percentage).
Now, even after two rounds of Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme, and a few other random regimens here and there, I'm still between 16 and 18% (BF% is really tough to calculate without a caliper, but there are decent - albeit inconsistent - tape-measure calculation methods out there). 16 - 18% isn't BAD... in fact, it's comfortably in the "Average" range, but after some research, it seems that most men start to see abs around the 10%-mark. Let's give this a shot:
"I want increase ab-visibility by reaching a BF% of 10%."Close, but I'm still missing something... It's not Time-bound. I want to set a reasonable date to achieve this goal, but not too relaxed so as to reduce the sense of urgency. June 1st, 2012 is not only reasonable, but Relevant (swim-suit season). Now we have it:
"I want increase ab-visibility by reaching a BF% of 10% by June 1st, 2012."I think that's a mighty-fine goal, and I hearby adopt it as my own.
Ah yes... There's one more ridiculously important step in this process: Disclosure. Unless you make your goals known beyond the boundaries of your own cranium, you can start to lose accountability and find ways to bend the rules so I can escape the sweat, ache, and stink. -- I mean "you." YOU would do that, not me...
<.<
o
When you publicly put yourself on the line, the people you tell become your involuntary support group. Whether they cheer you on or not (they probably won't) you'll still be obligated to follow through.
-- May the Force Be With You --
Figure out what your goals are. Be Specific. Make sure it's Measurable. Despite your wild aspirations, make sure it's Attainable and Relevant. Set a Timeline to keep yourself accountable, and lastly, TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Clive's Theory of Distractability
In my week "off" following ChaLEAN Extreme, I was feeling fat and sluggish, so I did some serious treadmill time.
I've never had huge success with the treadmill. Nevertheless, I own one now and use it occasionally. My problem is that since I decide when to start/stop, and what pace to go, I end up wimping out before I actually get a good workout. I've slowly started to pick up on something, though...
When I first began using the treadmill, I would watch a tiny TV, which didn't have a built-in guide, so I would have to guess what was on, and channel surf until I found something even remotely interesting. This was usually never, especially on Wednesdays when it was Tyler Perry's Wednesday nights with Tyler Perry on TBS. Treadmill-time was mostly torture and I couldn't wait to be finished.
More recently (since ownership of my own treadmill), I've had the opportunity to watch a larger, nicer TV with a DVR, so I could always record my own shows, and more-frequently find something I'd like to watch. Still, commercials proved problematic. I'd quickly come back to the realization that, dammit, I was on a treadmill and I'd either have to try to switch stations or fast-forward. I wanted something that I could escape into a little deeper.
Last week, I had a break-through... an awesome discovery, which I call "Clive's Theory of Distractability." C-ToD states:
"The greater extent to which one can distract one's self whilst exercising, the greater the resulting caloric burn."
My optimal element of distractability? Video games. It seems so obvious now that I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. I get to choose the entertainment, so I'm not at the mercy of 3rd-party programing, and best of all, THERE ARE NO COMMERCIALS. I played all sorts of "New Super Mario Bros Wii" as well as emulated old-skool games, but, of course, you can pick your faves. Anything that doesn't involve substantial wii-mote pointing or movement works, otherwise your exercise might confuse the poor wii-mote. Also, I found it much easier to crank the treadmill up to a steep grade (20%) and just walk it instead of trying to run or jog.
Using this method, I was EASILY able to do away with 700 to 1000 calories/night. I did, however, stumble upon a corollary to C-ToD...
C-ToD Corollary 1: "Treadmill distraction can lead to over-use, and result in bruised feet."
Yes. Bruised feet. I have never - EVER - in my life even heard of bruised feet, much less had them... and, DAMN, do they hurt. If you happen to use your feet at all (which I'm guessing is 99.99% of the people who own treadmills) you're constantly stepping on your bruises, which not only KILLS, but it slows the healing process.
Regardless, I HIGHLY recommend the video game application of C-ToD to any nerd having trouble exercising. Even if you don't own a treadmill, I could see bringing a DS to the gym particularly successful. (BTW, is it bad that I'm tempted to buy a 3DS for the sake of playing "Mario Land 3D" only?)
So what's your optimal element of distraction? Do you have any further corollaries to the C-ToD?
Until next time, n3rds!
-Clive
I've never had huge success with the treadmill. Nevertheless, I own one now and use it occasionally. My problem is that since I decide when to start/stop, and what pace to go, I end up wimping out before I actually get a good workout. I've slowly started to pick up on something, though...
When I first began using the treadmill, I would watch a tiny TV, which didn't have a built-in guide, so I would have to guess what was on, and channel surf until I found something even remotely interesting. This was usually never, especially on Wednesdays when it was Tyler Perry's Wednesday nights with Tyler Perry on TBS. Treadmill-time was mostly torture and I couldn't wait to be finished.
More recently (since ownership of my own treadmill), I've had the opportunity to watch a larger, nicer TV with a DVR, so I could always record my own shows, and more-frequently find something I'd like to watch. Still, commercials proved problematic. I'd quickly come back to the realization that, dammit, I was on a treadmill and I'd either have to try to switch stations or fast-forward. I wanted something that I could escape into a little deeper.
Last week, I had a break-through... an awesome discovery, which I call "Clive's Theory of Distractability." C-ToD states:
My optimal element of distractability? Video games. It seems so obvious now that I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. I get to choose the entertainment, so I'm not at the mercy of 3rd-party programing, and best of all, THERE ARE NO COMMERCIALS. I played all sorts of "New Super Mario Bros Wii" as well as emulated old-skool games, but, of course, you can pick your faves. Anything that doesn't involve substantial wii-mote pointing or movement works, otherwise your exercise might confuse the poor wii-mote. Also, I found it much easier to crank the treadmill up to a steep grade (20%) and just walk it instead of trying to run or jog.
Using this method, I was EASILY able to do away with 700 to 1000 calories/night. I did, however, stumble upon a corollary to C-ToD...
C-ToD Corollary 1: "Treadmill distraction can lead to over-use, and result in bruised feet."
Yes. Bruised feet. I have never - EVER - in my life even heard of bruised feet, much less had them... and, DAMN, do they hurt. If you happen to use your feet at all (which I'm guessing is 99.99% of the people who own treadmills) you're constantly stepping on your bruises, which not only KILLS, but it slows the healing process.
Regardless, I HIGHLY recommend the video game application of C-ToD to any nerd having trouble exercising. Even if you don't own a treadmill, I could see bringing a DS to the gym particularly successful. (BTW, is it bad that I'm tempted to buy a 3DS for the sake of playing "Mario Land 3D" only?)
So what's your optimal element of distraction? Do you have any further corollaries to the C-ToD?
Until next time, n3rds!
-Clive
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